Early goals help Tigres beat LA Galaxy, reach Champions Cup semis

MONTERREY, México (AP) — Nicolas Ibañez and Uriel Antuna scored two goals in two minutes early in the first half and Tigres defeated the LA Galaxy 3-2 on Tuesday to become the first team to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.

Ibañez scored the first goal of the second-leg match in the ninth minute and Antuna followed with another in the 10th minute for the Mexican side. Romulo Zwarg added a goal in the 57th minute to secure the win.

The first leg of the series ended in a scoreless draw a week ago.

In the next round, Tigres will play Cruz Azul, who beat Club America on Tuesday in an all-Mexican matchup. In the other quarterfinal series, Los Angeles FC plays against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami while Pumas face the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Tigres, who won the CONCACAF Champions Cup title in 2020, secured their seventh win in 14 matches in the tournament. All of their wins came in Monterrey.

The Mexicans are winless on the road since the 2023 quarterfinals when they defeated Motagua in Honduras.

Joseph Paintsil scored in the 40th minute and Carlos Garces in the 60th for the Galaxy which was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in their past five appeareances. LA has not qualified for the semifinals since the 2012-13 tournament.

Cruz Azul also advance

Striker Angel Sepulveda scored twice, including a late winner, as Cruz Azul beat crosstown rival America 2-1 on Tuesday to progress to the semifinals.

Sepulveda scored his goals in the 12th and 85th minutes to help la Maquina move into a semifinal against Tigres.

“Yesterday I mentioned that we had faith and that we were going to make it, and we did it,” Sepulveda said. “Even with the score tied at 1-1, I knew that we could do it. We deserve this.”

Cruz Azul eliminated America in the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years and will be bidding for its seventh CONCACAF title. That would equal America’s record as the most successful club in the region.

“You have to give it to them, they are a great opponent with good players,” Cruz Azul’s captain Ignacio Rivero said. “But today we were more focused and we take home the reward.”

Spanish midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo, who had a brief stint with Real Madrid, scored in the 57th for las Aguilas.

For America, the team with the highest payroll in Mexico, it was another missed chance to win the CONCACAF title for the first time since 2016. A year ago, club America lost in the semifinals to Pachuca.

For Cruz Azul, the win avenged recent losses to America in the final of the 2024 Clausura tournament and in the semifinals of the 2024 Apertura.

“This is an unforgettable night for us, and we want to keep the pace,” Sepulveda said. “Tigres is a great opponent so we will celebrate tonight, and we will think about them tomorrow,”

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